Good Food for All Kirklees ‘Share’ Meeting

Good Food for All Kirklees ‘Share’ Meeting Summary

Meeting Location: Huddersfield Mission

Date: 25 November 2025

About the Local Food Projects who attended

The Branch – Charlene

• Working in Paddock to tackle poverty and reduce food waste.
• Food that would otherwise go to landfill is shared with the community.
• Helping people learn to cook and try new foods.
• Over 100 volunteers help run the project and build strong community connections.
• Food share events also help identify other needs and signpost people to services such as CGL (drug and alcohol support), Dogs Trust, Wellness Service, Utilita energy help, Health checks
• Charlene also runs a WhatsApp group to share information and food updates.

Juniper Foodwise – Bev

• Focuses on teaching people how to cook and use ingredients they may not have tried before.
• Recently partnered with Louisa from Loving Hands on a cooking project.
• Suggested using the GFFA Facebook page to collect family favourite recipes from the public and to share regular recipes from Bev.

Cleckheaton Food Bank – Dilys

• Started during lockdown after two local vicars saw a growing need.
• Small food bank offering sessions three times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri).
• No formal referral needed; people can receive up to six parcels spread out to avoid dependency.
• Provides printed information packs listing other support services.
• Supports pets as well as people.
• 50 volunteers help with driving and packing.
• Works with local agencies, teachers, CGL, and others for referrals.
• Receives donations from Pets at Home (Birstall), Blue Cross, Sainsbury’s, and the Co‑op.
• Supported mainly by the Household Support Fund and a Lottery grant.
• Without this service, many local people would go hungry.
• Some people return later to donate or volunteer once they’re back on their feet.
• Dilys will share her booklet of local services with Mohammed and Charlene.

Community First – Mohammed

In Touch Foundation

• Provides over 100 hot meals every Friday, no questions asked.
• Meals are distributed from a stall in central Huddersfield (7–8pm).

New Food Hub – Community First (opened 1 Nov)

• Offers an online shopping-style system where people choose what they need.
• Orders are packed and delivered to any HD postcode.
• Deliveries twice a week (Sunday & Wednesday evenings).
• Around 50% of users self-refer; others come via schools and organisations.
• Currently working out limits based on family needs.
• Initially buying in food; now receiving donations from local businesses, mini markets, and mosques.
• Supported by a One Community Household Support grant.
• In discussions with Asda, Morrisons, and FareShare.
• Aims to reduce stigma and encourage people to feel comfortable asking for help.
• Also planning to offer yearly grants to local people.

Other Discussions

Food cupboards

• Town Avenue estate (near the stadium) has a food cupboard.
• Cupboards are useful for people who prefer anonymous access to food support.

Volunteers

• Mohammed has spare volunteers and will direct them to GFFA.
• GFFA will add a volunteer contact form to the website.
• Finding long‑term volunteers is a challenge for many groups.

Ideas discussed:

• A network representative visiting Proper Job Theatre to recruit volunteers for multiple organisations at once.
• Using business volunteers through social value schemes.
• Fundraisers and collection points run by local businesses.
• Cranfield Trust can provide expert support (e.g., spreadsheets, planning).

Useful tools and organisations

• Bank the Food app – food banks can list items they urgently need.
• Neighbourly – connects organisations with food donations and small grants.
• Volunteer Kirklees and TSL – good for volunteer recruitment.
• Independent Food Aid Network – supports food aid groups and provides resources like a “money worries” booklet.

Actions

• Add a volunteer contact form to the GFFA website.
• Share regular recipes on the GFFA Facebook page.
• Add the Town Ave food cupboard to the map.
• Add Community First to the GFFA map.
• Explore business partnership opportunities with Kirklees Council and local companies.